


A Divergent Connection

by Newbie_2u



Category: The Facts of Life
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-17
Updated: 2019-04-17
Packaged: 2020-01-15 14:24:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18500827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Newbie_2u/pseuds/Newbie_2u
Summary: If you take the time to look you may find you're not so different after all.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own them… if I did there would have been kissing and such. This story is not intended for profit but simply to test my ability to create something I am happy with that others might enjoy. The Facts of Life and its characters are the property of Columbia Pictures Television and Sony Pictures Television. No infringement intended.

**Part 1**

"Where is she! Where is that self-centered, no good…"

"Jo! What's going on?"

"Look Mrs. G, you have no idea what she did today. I can't let this one go, not this time!"

"Well I certainly can't let you confront her when you're so angry. You need to calm down and tell me what happened."

"Fine. Ya know, I really thought all this crap would stop once we got to college. I'm gettin' good and tired of her tellin' people I'm some charity case who wouldn't know Prada from Gucci so they should try to overlook my ignorance. Then she tops it off with a sob story about how she's had to put up with it for years and all her attempts have been futile. That's just a bunch of crap Mrs. G! I never asked for her help because I don't need it. Why the Hell would I want to be anything like her!"

"Language Jo."

"Sorry. She just pushes my buttons all the time. Listen, I really need some uninterrupted time to talk to her. I'm much calmer now and I promise there won't be any bloodshed. Can you keep Nat and Tootie away just until dinner?"

"I don't know, Jo. You were awfully angry when you walked in here."

"Please, Mrs. G, if I don't do this now it's only gonna get worse."

"Alright, but I expect both of you to be at the dinner table in 45 minutes. Agreed?"

"You got it, thanks."

Jo made her way to their shared room knowing the time had come to let Blair know, once and for all, that she'd had enough of her childish nonsense. She'd do her best to reign in her temper, she did promise no bloodshed, but she never promised not to give her a good scare. Setting a nasty scowl on her face Jo pushed open the door, locking it behind her. Turning toward the object of her ire she was momentarily distracted by the vision before her. Blair, in the midst of changing, was standing in front of her closet in her bra and panties.

"Jo! What are you doing?" Blair squealed as she attempted to cover herself. "Stop staring at me and turn around for goodness sake!"

Pulled from her stupor by the sound of Blair's voice Jo quickly recovered. "Relax Princess, you ain't got nothin' I haven't seen before."

"I don't care! I don't want you ogling me!"

"Ogling you! Don't flatter yourself. You ain't all that."

"What do you mean by that? I have a very nice body."

_Whoa, she's completely forgotten she's half naked. She's walking over here all pissy with her hands on her hips. She's really ticked, too, her nipples are hard. Whoa, whoa, whoa there nelly, stop looking at her breasts!_

"Well?"

"Well what?" _Oh my… stop staring at her cleavage for Pete's sake! You're mad at her, remember. Wait a minute, who cares if I'm mad or not, why the Hell am I staring at her cleavage!_

"What's wrong with my body?"

 _Wait a minute, is she crying?_ "There's nothin' wrong with your body Blair. Why are you cryin'?"

Suddenly Blair just seemed to fold in on herself and slipped to the floor sobbing. Hesitating at first Jo realized she couldn't just do nothing. So she knelt in front of Blair and pulled her into her arms. "Hey, shhh, easy. Oh, Princess, what's wrong – what's got you so busted up?"

As Blair fought to compose herself she realized just where she was and stiffened. Pulling away from Jo she attempted to stand. "I'm fine, Jo. I just need to freshen up and get dressed for dinner."

Jo couldn't believe the transformation as Blair went from sobbing mess to composed in the blink of an eye. The only sign of her previous condition were the red-rimmed eyes. Jo felt the need to do more than just help her to her feet and so she offered… "Listen, Blair, I know we don't get along all that great but I just want ya ta know that if ya wanna talk about it..."

"Whatever do you mean? I don't have anything I need to talk about, and if I did do you really think I'd turn to you?" Looking defiantly into the now confused blue eyes she couldn't help but notice the look of hurt that flashed there just before the fire returned.

"Just forget it then, I'll pretend I didn't see you sobbing in my arms and you can pretend you didn't have a mini-meltdown" Turning away Jo threw one last barb at the blonde. "I almost thought there was a human being under all that silk and lace – pretty stupid huh?"

Blair watched as Jo walked out of the room, and as the door closed she couldn't help but wonder if – for once in her life – she should have let someone in. "Maybe it's not too late." And with that thought set in her mind Blair proceeded to freshen up and get dressed for dinner.

Meanwhile, Jo had made her way to the kitchen and was helping set the table. Edna watched her young charge as she tried to compose herself. She recognized the anger in the young woman, but it seemed to be tempered with sadness. "Is everything alright, Jo?"

"Just peachy Mrs. G, just peachy."

"Hello, everyone!" Blair announced with a bit too much cheer as she moved to fill the water glasses.

Once again Edna took a moment to observe and sensed a similar sadness under the false cheerfulness. _Well, this is different. It seems that their talk may have been a good thing since they aren't at each other's throats. But they are both so sad… perhaps they need more time. Hmmm._

Walking up to Blair, Edna took in the red-rimmed, slightly puffy eyes and couldn't help but ask. "Are you alright, Blair?"

"Of course I'm alright." She responded too brightly. "I'm me after all!"

Twin groans from Natalie and Tootie, and a sigh from Jo were the only responses to her remark as everyone settled in for the meal. And an interesting meal it was. Natalie prattled on about her latest writing assignment while Tootie regaled everyone with recaps of her favorite TV shows. All the while both seemed oblivious to the fact that neither Blair nor Jo had uttered a word. Blair barely lifted her head from her plate, and Jo tried to surreptitiously sneak peaks at Blair from time to time. Edna, however, observed all of this, and it helped her come to a decision.

"Girls, why don't you all clean up these dishes while I make a quick phone call." As they rose to do her bidding Edna made her way into the living room to make her call.

Back in the kitchen the clean up was a silent affair and Natalie was the first to break the silence. "Why is it so quiet in here?" She asked as she looked at everyone. "Why aren't you two sniping at each other?"

Blair and Jo shared a look as they each tried to think of some answer to Nat's question. Jo was the first to speak. "Well, Nat… um I just…" Trying desperately to come up with something Blair jumped in for the save. "What Jo's trying to say is, we've decided to try to keep the sniping down to a minimum." And as she finished she flashed a bright smile at Jo who simply stood there shocked.

"Wow, that's so great!" Tootie beamed at the two. "Isn't that great Nat?"

"Yeah, great." I bet they don't make it through the night with that one.

Just then the kitchen door opened and Edna entered. "I have some wonderful news, girls! You remember that I was planning to visit my friend in the city tomorrow?"

Everyone nodded and Blair added. "How could I forget, I had to cancel a date with Brad after all."

The words flew out of Jo's mouth before she could stop them. "Poor, self-sacrificing Blair."

Turning frosty eyes on the brunette Blair flicked her hair back and answered. "Well, Jo, at least I had a date to cancel. What did you give up, a romantic night with your wrenches and grease?"

"I knew it." Natalie smirked in triumph.

"Now, girls…" Edna said sternly as she started to wonder if what she was about to do was prudent. "As I was saying, I'll be leaving a little later than originally planned since Natalie and Tootie don't get out of school until 2:30."

"But Mrs. Garret." A confused Tootie asked. "Why do you need to wait for us to get home?"

"Well, I just spoke to my friend and she said I could bring you and Natalie with me." Amidst the squeals of delight and acceptance Edna turned to Blair and Jo to explain. "She doesn't have room enough for everyone, I hope you two don't mind?"

"Nah, it's cool Mrs. G."

"Yes, I may even be able to salvage my evening with Brad."

"Now, Blair, dear, I know you wouldn't mind staying at home for one night. I'd hate to spend my trip worrying about you being out while I'm not close to home."

"Well, I suppose I could make that sacrifice for you Mrs. Garret."

"Thank you dear." Turning toward Natalie and Tootie Edna ushered them up to their rooms. "Now just pack enough for one day, girls."

As the two rushed off to pack Edna watched as Blair and Jo finished up the cleaning. There was definitely something different in their body language and she hoped that giving them this time alone would have a positive result. _They are so different, and that's all they can see. What they don't realize is that they are very much alike in some ways._ Sending up a short prayer for her two older charges Edna turned to her room to pack. _Please, Lord, give them the strength to see beyond their differences._


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 2**

After seeing Mrs. Garrett, Natalie and Tootie off on their trip the girls turned and walked back into the house. "So, Princess, how about we order some pizza and watch a movie or somethin'?"

"Well, I suppose that would be fine." Blair said as she moved into the kitchen. "Just as long as you get half veggie."

Grimacing Jo reached for the phone. "How can you eat that crap, pizza is supposed ta have sauce and cheese… and MEAT."

"Ooh, you are such a Neanderthal!" Opening the refrigerator Blair asked. "Do you want a soda?"

"Yeah, thanks!" Finished placing the order Jo hung up the phone and took the can of soda from the blonde. "And I ain't a Neanderthal."

"Fine, I'll give you that, but still you are just so… I don't know – boorish perhaps is a better word."

"I ain't boring either."

Chuckling at Jo's misinterpretation Blair decided not to correct her. She'd never admit this out loud but she'd sometimes found Jo's behavior endearing.

"What's so funny Princess?"

Just then the doorbell rang and Jo jumped up from her seat to answer it. Dropping the pizza on the coffee table she called out to Blair. "Hey blondie, grab me another soda and come on out here."

Coming out of the kitchen with sodas and napkins in hand Blair was chuckling again. "Awfully bossy there Jo. You sound like such a guy."

"What are you talkin' about! I just asked ya ta bring me a soda."

"Yes, but it was the way you asked. I was almost expecting you to club me over the head and drag me off to your cave."

"I told you I ain't a Neanderthal, Blair." Glancing over at the blonde Jo continued. "Besides, if I was dating you, you'd never let me touch your hair like that."

Both girls fell silent after that, eating their pizza and sneaking glances at each other. Jo started flipping through the stations to see if there was a good movie on.

"There ain't nothin' good on TV so I think I'll just go work on my bike for a while." Jo started cleaning up the living room and bringing the trash into the kitchen.

For some reason Blair didn't want Jo to go but she couldn't come up with anything that would make her stay. So she decided to try to strike up a conversation. "Jo?"

"Yeah?"

"I was wondering… if you were dating me how would you treat me?" _I can't believe we're having this conversation!_

 _How am I supposed to answer that? Normally I would come up with some smart-ass remark but I can't even think of one!_ "Well, I'd treat you like a Princess I guess." Jo could feel the blush creeping up her neck. "You know, I couldn't afford to buy you nice things but I'd do my best to make you happy."

"Oh, Jo, that's so romantic!" _Did I just call Jo Polniaczek romantic? Well, that really was beautiful… Why couldn't she be a boy_ "Sometimes I wish you were a boy." Turning away Blair added. "Why couldn't you be a Jo with an 'e'?"

Stunned by Blair's admission, Joe was momentarily frozen in place as she tried to find the proper answer to that question.

Blair, meanwhile, seemed to realize what she just said and turned, wide-eyed toward Jo. "Did I say that out loud?" Quickly turning her back to Jo she fled toward the door.

Jo, finally coming out of her stupor, rushed over to her distraught friend and wrapped her arms around her from behind. Leaning in toward her ear the brunette whispered. "I don't have to be a Jo with and 'e' for you to be with me." Feeling the woman in her arms shiver she nuzzled at her neck and placed a soft kiss there. Blair emitted a low whimper and then, realizing what she just did, she stiffened. Feeling the change in the woman in her arms caused Jo to make a similar realization as she too stiffened and released the blonde.

Backing away from Blair, Jo stuttered. "I'm, um… I'm just gonna go out to the garage and work on my bike." And with that she breezed past the blonde and out of the house. _What the Hell just happened? Why did I say that? Why did I kiss her?_

Flinging open the garage door Jo slipped on her cover-alls and continued her internal dialogue. _What was I thinking? You obviously weren't thinking Polniaczek, at least not with your head._ Hoping beyond hope that Blair would just act as if nothing happened Jo decided to concentrate on her bike.

Blair stood rooted to the spot for a few moments after the brunette left the room. Her mind was whirling trying to make sense of everything that just happened. _She kissed my neck! What did she mean she didn't have to be a Jo with an 'e' for me to be with her? Wait… Oh my, is Jo…_ Pushing that unfinished thought from her mind Blair gathered her composure and climbed the steps to her room.

Opening the closet she busied herself with sorting through her wardrobe. _Does Jo really feel 'that way' about me? Why isn't this bothering me? I should be freaking out, I mean this is Jo! Not only is she from the wrong side of the tracks, but she has no fashion sense and she's… she's a girl!_ As Blair sorted through the outfits in her closet her thoughts turned back to Jo, and the feelings she elicited in Blair when she held her in her arms.

Jo wiped her hands on a rag as she finished with the tweaking of her bike. Turning the bike over she made a few minor adjustments until the engine smoothed out. Straddling the bike seat the brunette revved the engine a few times, happy with the sound she settled down onto the seat. Her thoughts returned to Blair and the way she felt in her arms. _I have no idea why I did that, but ever since she broke down in my arms I've felt protective of her. I don't know what I'm doing here, what I'm feeling. She smelled so good I just couldn't stop myself from kissing her neck._ And with that thought, Jo began an unconscious rocking against the bike.

Blair turned back toward the bed, taking a few outfits from her closet and laying them on the comforter. Dropping down next to them the blonde placed her head in her hands. _I can't believe I whimpered! But she felt so good – I felt so good in her arms. I've never felt like that before, but I can't… How can she make me feel like this?_

Blair stood and began to undress with the intent of taking a bath. She walked into the bathroom and turned on the taps to begin filling the tub. Adjusting the temperature and adding her favorite oil she turned toward the vanity to remover her makeup. Gazing into the mirror she looked at herself hoping to find an answer in her reflection. Instead she closed her eyes and remembered the feel of Jo's arms around her. When she gazed once again at her reflection her eyes were darkened with desire.


	3. Chapter 3

**Part 3**

_Oh my!_ Quickly turning away from her reflection, Blair closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Scant seconds later, her mind was filled with visions of dark hair, blue eyes, and warm arms. _What is happening to me?_ Trying to dispel the images flooding her mind, Blair opened her robe and slipped it from her shoulders. As her hands pulled the robe open, the material brushed against her breasts and she gasped.

Dropping the robe, she looked down at her chest – at her nipples – her very hard, very sensitive nipples. _Why is this happening?_ She couldn't help it at this point, she reached up and cupped her breasts, and for the first time in Blair's young life she felt a jolt of pure arousal. Her knees buckled and she slipped to the floor continuing to touch her breasts. Then slowly her right hand slid down her body and slipped between her legs. Another gasp flew from her lips as she discovered just what it meant to be wet. And then it happened… a feeling so intense it left her gasping as Blair experienced her first true orgasm. Resting her head on the side of the tub, Blair recovered enough to reach up and turn off the taps.

Twisting the throttle on her bike Jo reveled in the vibrations it was causing as she rocked against the seat. _What the heck am I doin'? Jeez, Polniaczek, keep it in your pants, will ya!_ She sat up and took a deep breath, then another as she tried to get her hormones under control. _What is my problem? Who am I kidding, it's five feet six inches of blonde hair and brown eyes. She's just so amazing and felt so good in my arms. I kissed her neck, for cryin' out loud!_ _And she whimpered!_

She began her unconscious rocking again. _Ah, hell, this isn't goin' away._ Reaching up and grasping the zipper on her jumpsuit, she pulled it down and then did the same with the zipper on her jeans. Slipping her hand inside she stroked as she continued to press against the seat of the bike. Harder and faster she rocked until at last the pent up emotions and feelings were released. Pulling her hands from her pants and wiping them on a rag she took a few deep calming breaths and reached up and turned off the bike.

For the next few days the two girls did everything in their power to avoid contact of any kind. Neither was completely sure about what they were feeling and they certainly were not ready to look too closely at what was going on. Blair spent almost all of her free time with Brad and Jo spent most of her time working on her bike. No one seemed to notice that Blair and Jo weren't talking, all they knew was they weren't fighting.

The school bell rang and Jo was making her way up from the basement where she had stored a few bike parts she'd gotten from the shop teacher. As she was about to turn the corner she heard very loud voices laughing and joking and she recognized a name. _Blair… who was that and what were they saying?_

"Yeah, and she was just as hot as I thought she'd be. Man, it was definitely worth all the hard-ons." Making his way around the corner, Brad had no idea that he was overheard, nor did he realize all his man points were about to be revoked. All he remembered, when he finally woke up, was the blur of a fist heading straight for his face.

Jo just couldn't let this guy talk about Blair like that. She may not like the girl but she certainly wasn't gonna let anyone tell those kind of lies about anyone – even Blair. Unfortunately Jo didn't stop to think about the two assholes Brad was bragging to. They were initially caught off guard but quickly came to their buddy's rescue and Jo found herself with a black eye and a bloody nose.

Jo thought about sneaking into the house and straight up to her room, but she knew it was foolish to think she could hide her injuries. So she decided to come up with a story to explain her appearance. She figured they'd believe it if she said she'd pissed off a couple of jocks. So she took a deep breath and opened the door.

"Oh, Jo, there you are. Could you please go into the back and bring me a bag of… Oh dear, what happened to you?" Rushing over to the badly bruised teen, Edna quickly started poking and prodding.

"I'm alright, Mrs. G, I just mouthed off to the wrong guys. You always told me my mouth was gonna get me in hot water some day."

"Who did this to you? No young man should raise his hand to a young lady, even if she behaves badly."

"I know it was wrong but believe me he got as good as he gave." Seeing the look of disapproval on the older woman's face, Jo quickly interjected, "I'm sorry, Mrs. G, I'll try to do better at controlling my temper."

"Well, we'll talk more about this later. Right now I want you to go have a seat while I get you something to put on your eye." Shooing her toward the living room the older woman went into the kitchen to retrieve a towel and a pack of frozen peas.

Meanwhile, Natalie and Tootie arrive and, seeing Jo sitting in the living room made their way in to greet her. "Hey, Jo, whatcha doin' in here?" Natalie asked just seconds before she saw the black eye. "Oh my God, what happened!"

Tootie just looked at Jo with wide eyes, unable to form a sentence.

"Oh, girls, I'm glad you're here. Would you mind getting me two bags of flour from the pantry? Jo needs to rest and get some ice on her eye so let's let her be." With that said, she handed the towel-wrapped frozen peas to Jo and retreated to the kitchen.

A short time later, Blair made her entrance, looking a bit distraught. Edna noticed her look and quickly went to her side. "Blair dear, what's wrong?"

"Oh, Mrs. Garrett, it's Brad! Someone beat him up and he won't tell me who."

"Oh my." _Oh no!_

"Here's the flour, Mrs. Garrett." Spotting the blonde in the kitchen, Natalie quickly let her know the scoop. "Oh, Blair, did you see Jo! She got herself beat up – she's got a black eye and everything!"

"What!" Storming into the living room, Blair dropped to her knees in front of the brunette.

Fearing the worst, Edna rushed into the room, knowing there was about to be another brawl. Much to her surprise, she instead ran in to find Blair fussing over Jo.

"Are you okay?" Blair reached up to move the towel and get a look at Jo's eye. "Oh, Jo, does it hurt much?"

"Nah, I'm okay. You should see the other guy." Realizing what she just said, Jo waited for the explosion.

"I think maybe I did. I can't believe Brad hit you! And it's no wonder he's not talking – beaten up by a girl."

"You're not mad?" a disbelieving Jo asked.

"Well, I wish you didn't choose to be violent, but I know you must have your reasons. And I expect to hear what they are – but that can wait. Let's have some dinner and then we'll talk, okay?"

After an unusually silent dinner, Blair asked Natalie and Tootie if they would mind doing their homework in the kitchen so she and Jo could talk. Agreeing readily, the girls were more than happy to delay their questioning. And so the two older girls made their way upstairs. Edna was so very pleased that the situation didn't become a shouting match as she'd expected. Although somewhat confused by the turn of events, she wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"Listen, Blair, I…"

"Not yet, Jo, let's get settled and ready for bed first and then we'll talk." Motioning toward the bathroom, Blair continued, "You go first and I'll go get you another bag of peas."

Jo didn't know what to make of all this; she'd figured once Blair realized she was the one that beat up her boyfriend, she'd get blasted. Instead Blair was treating her nice, real nice. Finishing up in the bathroom, Jo grabbed her pillows and propped herself up against the headboard waiting for Blair to return. A few minutes later the blonde entered the room with a tray of cookies and juice as well as another bag of peas.

"Okay, here's a nice cold compress for your eye and I thought we might want a snack at some point so…" Blair pointed to the cookies and looked at Jo. "Get that on your eye. It still looks a bit puffy." Giving the brunette a smile, Blair moved to her dresser. "I'm going to freshen up and change, is there anything else you need?"

"Nope. I'm good, thanks." Jo placed the compress on her eye and leaned back against her pillows.  
A short time later, Blair returned and took a seat on the edge of the bed. "Okay, can you tell me what happened?"

"Blair, I don't really want to cause any trouble between you and Brad." Jo was very uncomfortable – she really didn't want to have to tell Blair that her boyfriend was a pig and he was spreading rumors about her.  
Sensing Jo's discomfort, Blair placed her hand on the brunette's forearm. "Jo, you can tell me… whatever it is I want you to be honest with me. Please."

That was all it took, the gentle plea from the blonde made Jo's mind up. Blair deserved to know that her reputation was being sullied. "I hate ta tell you this, Princess, but I overheard Brad saying some not so nice things about you and I kinda lost it."

"So you were defending my honor, huh?"

"Well, yeah, I mean you'd never do the things he was sayin'." Noticing Blair turning away from her, Jo wondered… "Blair, even if you did, um… you know, with Brad he still shouldn't be braggin' about it."

"I didn't, Jo. I almost let him, but I realized I didn't feel it."

Relieved but somewhat confused by that statement, Jo reached out to Blair. "Feel what?"

Eyes brimming with unshed tears, Blair looked up into concerned blue eyes and decided it was time to finish this puzzle. "I didn't feel what I felt when you held me – when you whispered in my ear and kissed my neck." With that admission the tears began to fall. Blair knew that they would never be the same after this night and it scared her. Although it appeared that she didn't care for Jo, she realized that her animosity was just a cover for deeper feelings and she prayed that those feelings would be returned.

Jo couldn't believe what she'd just heard. _Was Blair saying she had feelings for me? Those kinda feelings? Wow._

"I'm sorry, Jo." Blair sobbed.

The sobbing of the blonde got Jo's attention and she quickly reached for her and brought her up and into her arms. Holding her closely she rubbed circles on her back as she whispered nonsense into her ears in hopes of calming her. This was unexpected but not unwelcome and Jo knew she needed to convince Blair that she too had feelings for the blonde. "Hey, shh, I got ya. Come on, Princess, it's okay. I feel it too."

To Be Continued…


End file.
